The heavyweight luxo-touring fight of the decade

When the Honda was parked safely in my garage and the BMW in Pete’s, we both collapsed in our respective beds to catch up on much needed sleep and dream about Mike Tyson beating up motorcycles. The next morning we tallied the scores.

Did the K16 defeat the indefatigable Wing? Hardly. What it succeeded in doing is enriching the options from which touring bike enthusiasts have to choose. In our humble opinion BMW did something far better than simply create a better motorcycle, they created a bike that strengthens the sport of motorcycling.

In other words, if you’re staring down an Iron Butt Rally or simply crisscrossing the country by way of a combination of Interstate blacktop, the venerable Gold Wing remains the most comfortable long-distance, straight-line mileage gobbler on two wheels. Honda’s dealer network also eclipses that of BMW, which could save a lot time and headache in case of a roadside breakdown.

If you’re on a six-month motorcycle vacation and the only straight lines marked on your map are the shortest ones connecting various mountain ranges where you plan on spending most of your time carving corners, the K1600GTL is the better choice. But you’ll have to pack lighter.

What’s inevitable is a ground-up redesign of the iconic Gold Wing, as we believe the 2012 iteration may be a stop-gap measure before an all-new version debuts in a future year yet to be announced. It’s unclear how Honda will retaliate against this new competition from BMW, whether it plays to the GL’s strengths or tries to compete directly with BMW’s sportier machine.

While reducing the Gold Wing’s weight and upping its horsepower would be beneficial, regardless of its competition, we feel it would be silly for Honda to chase BMW for the best performing luxo-tourer and stick with what the Gold Wing does best — delivering unmatched comfort in long-distance, two-wheel travel.

Let BMW carve a niche for retiring sportbike owners with touring tendencies who revel in the challenge of bending a big touring bike through repetitive corners, while those who want to pound out big mileage crossing state lines will enjoy the Wing’s offerings.

It’s a better world for all motorcyclists with both these bikes in it.